You may be considering getting involved in research while you are in school.
Dr. Kori Brewer and Dr. Jack Gough are in charge of EM research at ECU. They are always looking for help on various projects. Please contact them if you have any questions, would like to get involved on any existing projects, or have an idea for a project you would like to create.
Current research projects:
Several first- and second-year medical students have already gotten involved in Emergency Medicine research! Some of the projects already underway include:
TITLE: Utilization of ED by non-urgent patients
GOAL: This is a part of a multi-center survey designed to assess what factors influence a patient's decision to seek attention in an ED as opposed to other health care sources for a non-urgent problem.
STUDENT ROLE: Interviewing non-urgent patients as to why they have come to the ED. Two medical students will interview as many patients as possible over a 3-4 week period and interpret the resulting data. This project will be funded as part of the Summer Research Scholars Program of Brody School of Medicine.
TITLE: Impact of crash angle and impact speed on injury of rear seat passengers
GOAL: Examine motor vehicle collision data to determine effect of crash angle and impact speed on injury severity scores for backseat passengers.
STUDENT ROLE: Examine existing database and record data of interest. Look for correlations between ISS for rear sear passengers and crash variables.
TITLE: Incidence and impact of traumatic brain injury in assault victims
GOAL: Determine how many traumatic brain injuries result from an assault and correlate TBI with specific injury mechanisms.
STUDENT ROLE: Assess assault victims who present with injury above the neck for the presence of TBI using a standard tool for determining the presence of neurological/cognitive deficits. Refer qualifying patients to TBI clinic for assessment of long-term effects of injuries. Chart review to obtain demographic information on patients enrolled.
The following projects have been proposed by various ED faculty, but NEED A STUDENT to help get the project rolling!
TITLE: Morbidity Patterns from Hurricane Floyd
GOAL: Examine the prevalence of certain injuries associated with Hurricane Floyd and the resulting flood and identify trends in injuries/illnesses.
STUDENT ROLE: Chart review of patients presenting to the ED during a defined time period surrounding the storm and development of spreadsheet for data of interest. No strict time requirements. Can be done as time permits.
*This study requires no patient enrollment.
TITLE: IV Ketorolac vs. nasal Sumatriptan for treatment of migraine GOAL: Compare the effectiveness of two standard migraine treatments. This study was previously submitted as a manuscript. The reviewers asked for enrollment of 10-15 more patients.
STUDENT ROLE: Patient enrollment, addition of new data to existing analysis, revision of existing manuscript to include new data. Approximately 1 month needed for completion.
TITLE: Use of physostigmine as a treatment for GHB overdose
GOAL: Assess the effectiveness of using physostigmine as an antidote for acute GHB overdose in mice.
STUDENT ROLE: This is a basic science project that requires some lab time. Student will assist in experiments that include administration of GHB and physosigmine to mice, assessment of outcomes, and data analysis.
